Grappling hook for banana handling equipment



May 29, 1956 w. A. REICH 2,747,916

GRAPPLING HOOK FOR BANANA HANDLING EQUIPMENT Filed May 10, 1954 mlmm INVENTOR.

GRAPPLING HOOK FOR BANANA HANDLING EQUIPIVIENT Walter A. Reich, Kansas City,

& Sons, Missouri Application May 10, 1954, Serial No. 428,530 2 Claims. (Cl. 294-106) Mo., assignor to A. Reich Inc., Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of This invention relates to improvements in grappling means, particularly adapted for use in the banana industry, wherein rather heavy, bulky bunches of bananas must be handled and wherein care must be used in such handling operations to prevent bruising of the bananas themselves.

It is the most important object of the present inven tion to provide in equipment for raising and lowering bunches of bananas and conveying the same from point to point, grappling means in the nature of .a pair of pivotally mounted jaws capable of grasping a small rope on the banana bunch, kinking the same and thereby releasably suspending the banana bunch from such equipment.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a grappling device that includes a support having a pair of jaws both swingably mounted for movement toward and away from each other, the jaws themselves being provided with interleaving serrations for kinking a rope therebetween and thereby progressively gripping the same tighter in response to downward thrust or the weight of the banana bunch itself.

A further object hereof is to provide a grappling means of the aforementioned character wherein fingers are formed and disposed to present a flared entrance for the banana rope, thereby facilitating the use of a banana hoist cart or the like and making it possible to utilize the same in handling banana bunches.

An additional object of the instant invention is the provision of a grappling hook having intermeshing cogs on the proximal faces of the jaw members adjacent the said serrations for causing the jaws to swing together on their spaced, parallel pivot means.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevationalview of equipment for handling bananas and the like showing the grappling hook of the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, top plan view of the grappling hook, parts being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational'view of the hook looking into the flared entrance mouth.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line VV of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 2, but showing the jaws in the open position.

This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 287,289, filed May 12, 1952, now abancloned.

The banana industry is generally well aware of the aggravating problem incident to the necessity of rather frequent handling of heavy, bunglesome bunches of bananas. In addition to the fact that such handling operations are extremely tiring, considerable waste is experienced because of the accompanying bruising of the bananas and of tearing the same loose from the stalk.

These factors render it virtually essential to provide grappling States Patent mechanism for obviating the lifting operations, but such mechanism is practical only if a satisfactory means can be provided to quickly interconnect the mobile hoist mechanism and the banana bunch.

While it is to be understood that the grappling hook forming the subject matter of the instant invention may be used advantageously for handling various articles in addition to bunches of bananas, such as for example, meat carcasses wherein it is possible to use a rope or the like 19, as shown in Fig. 1 for convenience of description of the principles of the instant invention, there is shown a cart broadly designated by the numeral 12 for handling banana bunches 14.

The cart 12 chosen for illustration in Fig. 1 forms no part of the present invention and since the same is fully disclosed in my Patent No. 2,738,086, May 13, 1956, it may be pointed out only that grappling hook 16 is mounted on one end of an arm or lever 18. Lever 18 is mounted for swinging movement as at '20 and normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by releasable latching mechanism 22.

Grappling hook 16 includes a crosshead 24 that receives the outermost free end of the supporting lever 18 and which is mounted on the support 18 by screwthreaded engagement therewith. A setscrew 26 in the crosshead 24 and bearing against the lever 13, releasably holds the hook 16 against rotational movement with respect to the lever 18.

Crosshead 24 is provided with a pair of opposed lateral wings 28 and 30 extending oppositely from the support 18 receiving jaw members 32 and 34 respectively on that face of the crosshead 24 opposite to the support 18. The legs of the U-shaped jaw members 32- and 34 are swingably mounted on pivot bolts 36 and 38 that extend through wings 28 and 30 respectively, and which are disposed in parallelism. with the axis of that part of the lever 18 between pivot 20 and cross- Means separate from the serrations '48 and 42 are provided on the innermost proximal faces of the jaw members 32 and 34 for causing the same to swing simultaneously on their pivots 36 and 38 as best seen in' Figs.

3 and 6 of the drawing. Such means includes inter meshing cogs 50 and 52 on jaw members 32am! 34 respectively, disposed adjacent to that face of the crosshead 24 opposite to-thesupport 15.

52 and the fingers 44 and 46.

Crosshead 24 is provided with an integral extension 54 intermediate the ends thereof terminating in a laterally extending leg 56 that overlies the jaw members 32 and 34 to limit the extent of upward swinging movement thereof as illustrated in Fig. 6 and by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Normally, when there is no rope or other object between the jaw members 32 and 34, their proximal faces move into binding interengagement with the serrations 4t and 42 interleaved, as shown by full lines in Fig. 4 and by Fig. 5, thereby limiting the extent of downward swinging movement of the jaw members 32 and3 i.

In operation, the grappling hook 16 is adapted to receive the rope 10 between the jaws 32 and 34 in the manner illustrated by Fig. 1 of the drawing. When the rope Thus, the serrations 40 and 42 are disposed between the cogs 53 and- 10 is engaged by the serrations 40 and 42, and when the weight of the banana bunch 14 is on the hook 16, jaws 32 and 34 swing downwardly to kink the rope 1t) and thereby prevent downward slippage thereof with respect to hook 16. It is seen that a progressively tighter grip of the jaw members 32 and 34 on the rope 10 is produced as the weight of 'the bunch of bananas 14 tends to cause the rope 10 to move downwardly with respect to the jaws 32 and 34.

Prevention of slippage of the rope 10 with respect to the serrations 40 and 42 is enhanced by virtue of the intermeshing relationship between the cogs Stl and 52, thereby interlocking the jaws 32 and 34 for simultaneous downward swinging movement under influence of the weight of the banana bunch 14. In other Words, when the bananas 14 are supported by the hook 16 in suspended relationship thereto, neither jaw 32 nor jaw 34 can swing separately and thereby release the hold on rope 10. Conversely, the tendency of the bananas 14 to swing the jaws 32 and 34 into tight gripping relationship with the rope 10 forces jaws 32 and 34 to cooperate because of the interconnection afiorded by intermeshing cogs 50 and 52.

The form and construction of the grappling hook 16 as above described, is also important to facilitate disposition of the rope 10 between the jaws 32 and 34. Normally, these jaws are in the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing by their inherent weight and must, therefore, be forced upwardly to the open position before the rope can be inserted therebetween.

Assuming therefore, that the bunch of bananas 14 is hanging from a ceiling hook through use of the rope 10, it is unnecessary for the operator to manipulate the hook 16 by hand in order to force the rope 10 between the jaws 32 and 34. The operator need merely manipulate the cart 12 to a position aligning the suspended rope 10 with the flared entrance mouth 48, thereupon the cart 12 may be manipulated to force the hook 16 on the rope 10. As the hook 16 is moved to the left, viewing Figs. 1 and 2, and as the rope 10 is forced into the mouth 48, jaws 32 and 34 will automatically open or swing upwardly to the position shown by Fig. 6 limited only by the stop 56.

Prior to such movement of the jaws 32 and 34 over the rope 10, latch 22 is released and lever 18 swung on pivot means 20 to lower the grappling hook 16. Once the rope 10 is disposed between the serrations and 42 of jaws 32 and 34, lever 18 may be manipulated or swung downwardly and the frictional engagement between the rope 10 and the serrations 40 and 42 will immediately cause the jaws 32 and 34 to swing downwardly into gripping relationship to the rope 10. Continued upward swinging movement of the grappling hook 16 will take the weight of the banana bunch 14 off the aforementioned ceiling hook and the cart 12 may thereafter be used to convey the bananas 14 to any suitable point of delivery.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a grappling hook, a support; a crosshead rigidly mounted on the support at one end of the latter, said crosshead being provided with a pair of opposed wings extending laterally from the support in opposite directions; a jaw member on one face of each Wing respectively in opposed relationship to the support; pivot means mounting the jaw members on the wings for swinging movement on parallel axes, cooperable gripping elements integral with the proximal faces of the jaw members; intermeshing cogs on said faces of the jaw members separate from said gripping elements interlocking the jaw members for simultaneous swinging movement, said cooperable gripping elements comprising elongated, alternately olfset serrations substantially parallel with said axes of swinging movement of the jaw members, said intermeshing cogs comprising continuations of the serrations and being disposed between the serrations and the crosshead; an outwardly flared finger integral with each jaw member respectively, presenting a substantially V- shaped entrance mouth to the serrations, said serrations being disposed between the fingers and the cogs; and an L-shaped projection integral with the crosshead intermediate the ends thereof and having a laterally-extending leg overlying the jaw members for engagement thereby to limit the extent of upward swinging movement of the jaw members.

2. In a grappling hook, a support; a crosshead rigidly mounted on the support at one end of the latter, said crosshead being provided with a pair of opposed wings extending laterally from the support in opposite directions; a jaw member on one face of each wing respectively in opposed relationship to the support; pivot means mounting the jaw members on the wings for swinging movement on parallel axes, cooperable gripping elements integral with the proximal faces of the jaw members; intermeshing cogs on said faces of the jaw members separate from said gripping elements interlocking the jaw members for simultaneous swinging movement, said cooperable gripping elements comprising elongated, alternately ofiset serrations substantially parallel with said axes of swinging movement of the jaw members, said intermeshing cogs comprising continuations of the serrations and being disposed between the serrations and the crosshead; an outwardly flared finger integral with each jaw member respectively, presenting a substantially V-shaped entrance mouth to the serrations, said serrations being disposed between the fingers and the cogs; and an L-shaped projection integral with the crosshead intermediate the ends thereof and having a laterally-extending leg overlying the jaw members for engagement thereby to limit the extent of upward swinging movement of the jaw members, the distance between the pivot means being less than twice the distance between the serrations and each pivot means whereby the serrations are in binding intermeshing relationship when the jaw members are swung to the lowermost ends of their paths of travel, thereby limiting the extent of downward swinging movement of the jaw members.

Stevens May 8, 1900 Hornbeck Dec. 29, 1931 

